Call of Duty 4 waging Modern Warfare

For months, rumors have raged that the Call of Duty series would follow in the footsteps of Battlefield, its biggest rival in the military shooter genre, into the modern era of warfare. Today, the franchise's publisher, Activision, made it official. Developed by COD creators Infinity Ward, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will eschew the franchise's traditional World War II setting in favor of a fictional conflict set during contemporary times.

Unfortunately, the setting is about all that's known about COD4. No details--including platforms--were revealed to the press. Instead of issuing the typical press release, Activision has decided to unveil the game via a trailer that will be shown during the NFL Draft on ESPN at (10 a.m. PDT /1 p.m. EDT) this Saturday April 28.

Although Activision is holding back on the details of COD4, its announcement was not unexpected. This month, gamers were tipped off to the unveiling of something on developer Infinity Ward's Web site. The tease came just over a year after the first rumors about a modern-day Call of Duty first surfaced in the gaming press.